Irrigation Regimes on Growth and Metabolic Processes of Enterolobium contortisiliquum Seedlings

Felipe Turchetto,Victória Martini Sasso,Daniele Guarienti Rorato,Adriana Maria Griebeler,Felipe Manzoni Barbosa,Maristela Machado Araujo,Álvaro Luís Pasquetti Berghetti,Luciane Almeri Tabaldi

doi:10.1590/2179-8087.026318

Abstract

Abstract In forest nurseries, one of the factors that change the growth and quality of seedlings is water supply, which has a direct influence on metabolic processes such as stomatal conductance and photochemical efficiency of photosystem II. This study aims to identify the influence of different watering regimes as well as the use of a water-retaining polymer on the initial growth and metabolic processes of Enterolobium contortisiliquum seedlings. The experimental design was in random blocks with a factorial scheme. Morphological attributes, as well as physiological and biochemical attributes were investigated. We verified that the performance of E. contortisiliquum seedlings depends on the watering regime provided to the plants; furthermore, up to 60 days after the application of the treatments, both the height and diameter of the collection and the leaf water potential were similar in the water regimes of 8 mm day-1 and 12 mm day-1.

Highlights

Enterolobium contortisiliquum (Vell.) Morong belongs to the Fabaceae family
The analysis of variance indicated an interaction between irrigation regimes (IR) and the time of measurements, for height, stem diameter, height/stem diameter ratio, root dry mass, and water potential (p < 0.05) variables
We verified the highest averages of height, stem diameter, and height/stem diameter ratio, when the E. contortisiliquum seedlings were grown under irrigation regime RR12 (12 mm day-1)

Summary

Introduction

Enterolobium contortisiliquum (Vell.) Morong belongs to the Fabaceae family. It is a tree native to South America found in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay (Burkart, 1967) This species can occur in several forest formations; it is more commonly found in subtropical forests (Moreira et al, 2015). This species is important for different sectors of the economy, such as timber, shipbuilding, and civil construction (Zuchiwschi et al, 2010). E. contortisiliquum is recommended for reforestation of degraded areas, permanent preservation, and mixed plantings, mainly due to its rapid initial growth (Araújo & Paiva Sobrinho, 2011)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion